Now to the release of Otto Warmbier from captivity in North Korea.
A senior American official told New York Times they obtained intelligence reports in recent weeks indicating the student had been repeatedly beaten while in North Korea and they had feared he was dead.
The Warmbiers were told that he had come down with a case of botulism soon after his trial - which lasted only one hour - and had been given a sleeping pill, from which he never woke up. U.S. officials then urged those with the ability to persuade Pyongyang to ratchet up the pressure to get him released, said a source, who is familiar with the government's efforts.
Department of State spokeswoman Heather Nauert told reporters Rodman had nothing to do with Warmbier's release.
President Moon Jae-in and his United States counterpart Donald Trump will hold their first face-to-face talks in Washington on June 29-30 (local time) since they took office. There, North Korean officials told Yun about Warmbier's condition.
Tillerson said the State Department is still working to secure the release of three other USA citizens detained in North Korea. The third is a businessman named Kim Dong Chul.
Earlier Tuesday, Tillerson had provided only few details about Warmbier or the circumstances around his release. "We're working on it". On this trip, he has already been roundly criticized by some for visiting during a time of high tensions between the U.S. and North Korea over its weapons programs and recent missile launches.
In April the President said that he would be willing to meet the North Korean despot "under the right circumstance".
That does not mean that there is no role for Mr. Rodman to play in helping to improve communications between his friend Kim Jong-un and Donald Trump. "Otto should have been released from the start", said US Sen.
Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio), called Warmbier's arrest and trial "unnecessary and appalling".
Firefighters battling massive blaze in London high-rise
Tim Downie, who lives not far away, told Britain's Press Association that he feared the building could collapse. The fire involved almost every floor of the 24-story building.
Warmbier said he accepted the offer because his family was "suffering from very severe financial difficulties". He said that over the past 18 months, Warmbier's family has "had to endure more than any family should have to bear".
There was no clear sign that the former National Basketball Association bad boy would meet leader Kim Jong Un, as he did on previous visits to the isolated country.
Asked if he had spoken to President Donald Trump about the visit, Rodman said: "Well, I'm pretty sure he's pretty much happy with the fact that I'm over here trying to accomplish something that we both need".
However, he said the issue of several Americans detained by North Korea is "not my objective right now".
As the Americans continued to push for the Swedish diplomats to see all four, North Korea's ambassador to the United Nations urgently requested a meeting with Yun in NY, according to Trump administration officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity about the still-secret arrangements.
Warmbier appeared emotional at a news conference organized by the North Koreans before his trial in March 2016.
"During his time in our country, US citizen Kim Sang Duk attempted to overthrow the state, a hostile crime". The North Koreans agreed and he was flown out on Tuesday.
His case largely stayed quiet after that until May of this year, when his parents decided it was time to speak out. "We get to see our son Otto tonight".
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson announced that the State Department had secured Warmbier's release at the direction of the president.
Fox News reported that Warmbier was on a military plane expected to land in Cincinnati late Tuesday, after which he would receive urgent hospital treatment.
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